THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
AND OTHER HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND
AGENCIES
SUBJECT: Naturalization

Citizenship is the cornerstone of full participation in
our democracy. To become a United States citizen through
naturalization represents a pledge to undertake the
responsibilities of being a full member of our national
community.

Naturalization is the best example of our legal immigration
system at work. It reflects our society's recognition of
those who came to this country to work hard, play by the
rules, and pursue shared ideals of freedom, opportunity,
and responsibility.

In the past, hundreds of thousands of eligible people have had
to wait unnecessarily to become citizens. In some parts of the
country, these people have had to wait well over a year after
filing their application to realize their dream of United States
citizenship.

This Administration is committed to eliminating the waiting
lists of those eligible for citizenship. To accomplish this,
we launched "Citizenship U.S.A.," the most ambitious citizenship
effort in history. In fiscal year 1996, the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) will spend more than $165 million
for naturalization.

Citizenship U.S.A. combines three broad strategies: hiring
more people to handle applications, improving the naturalization
process, and expanding partnerships with local officials and
community organizations.

We are already making progress. We have increased the staff
235 percent in the five districts with 75 percent of the pending
applications: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, and
Chicago. In Los Angeles, where one-fourth of all new
applications are filed, we have opened three new processing
centers and have more than quadrupled the number of INS officers
handling citizenship applications.

But this is just the beginning. This Administration's target
is to process and swear-in within 6 months of application all
individuals eligible for citizenship. As we meet this target,
more than one million newcomers will become citizens by the end
of this year. After that, INS shall maintain those reforms
necessary to stay current with the demand of new citizen
applicants.

Using all of the tools at your disposal, I ask you to ensure
that policies and practices necessary to accomplish these
targets of one million new citizens sworn-in and the elimination
of the waiting list are implemented. This includes continuing,
expanding or accelerating, as appropriate and practicable, the
following:

New Hires. Hiring, training, and deployment of full staff
to assist naturalization efforts should proceed to completion as
quickly as possible.

Cutting Red Tape. This includes: establishing electronic
filing and mailing-in of citizenship applications, extended
weekday hours and Saturday interviews, further expansion of
processing facilities, and improvements to make it easier for
people to obtain forms and get immigration information by
telephone or computer.

Working with Local Officials and Community-Based Groups.
We are working in partnership with local officials and community
groups to expand outreach. I direct you to expand these efforts
to help get naturalization information to people, assist them in
filling out applications, offer more local sites for interviews,
especially for the elderly and the homebound, and seek other
means to jointly facilitate the process. We also will work to
expand the availability of local hotlines providing
naturali-zation information.

English Training. To assist legal immigrants to move
toward citizenship, I request relevant agencies to work with
the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, and
other White House offices to present to me by December 30, 1996,
a report making recommendations with respect to public/private
efforts to teach English to those needing to improve their
English-language skills. This report should consider possible
roles by private companies, educational institutions, unions,
community organizations, and the AmeriCorp program to accomplish
this goal.

Interagency Outreach. I direct each executive department
and agency to take steps to promote naturalization outreach
consistent with your agency's mission. In particular, in
materials sent to welfare recipients concerning eligibility,
I direct that, to the extent authorized by law, you include
naturalization information.

Refugees and Asylees. Those who flee persecution and
suffering in their home country are often in the weakest
position to acquire the skills they need to enter the job
market, maintain self-sufficiency, and achieve U.S. citizenship.
I direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
conjunction with other agencies as appropriate, to present to
me by December 30, 1996, through the Domestic Policy Council,
a report setting out a strategy of additional steps that we can
take to promote social adjustment in the United States, economic
self-sufficiency, and naturalization.

In taking these steps, this Administration shall maintain and
strengthen the standards and requirements of the naturalization
test that demonstrate an individual's readiness to accept the
responsibilities of citizenship and full participation in our
national community. You are directed to continue vigilant
oversight to uphold these standards.

Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking the dream and the
promise of American citizenship. They have worked to become
United States citizens, and these steps should ensure that they
are not made to wait unnecessarily.